Partners
by Takada Saiko
Summary: Starsky and Hutch meet in their academy days and are pit up against a renouned detective from Bay City that just may turn out to be dirty. Along with John Colby they have to uncover enough evidence against him before he finds a way to get rid of them. R
1. Chapter 1

Partners

by: Takada Saiko and Gabrielle Day

Notes: We own nothing (except a few various characters), still, though we've adored these two... as long as I can remember. Gotta love the 'Me and Thee' duo.

* * *

The California night was cool, the breeze coming in off the ocean carried the tease of fresh air and saltwater that almost masked the stench of the alley. Two men stood by the backdoor of a poorly named nightclub that had only opened months before and would be gone before they conducted business again. Their faces were obscured by shadow, only the faintest illumination coming from the cigarettes they both held. They watched silently as others packed the trunk of a beige sedan with cocaine. One of the young men packing the car stood up and wiped his hands nervously on his pants. "What do we do with that?" he asked, jerking his thumb at a large black bag.

"Put it in the car. Take it the docks. Dump it." The taller of the shadowed men said gruffly with an exhale of smoke.

Once the car was packed, the shorter of the smokers handed over a briefcase. "This'll keep you." He said with a laugh.

"Damn straight. Pleasure doing business with you."

"Keep loose, Harry. I'll be in touch." The short one got into the front of the car and it vanished into the night.

* * *

"Late night, Hutchinson?"

Ken Hutchinson looked up from what might have been a decent breakfast has it not been tainted with the memories of the phone call he'd just ended before traipsing down to the common cafeteria that most cadets in the Police Academy shared. Hutch frowned at his bowl of would-be oatmeal and turned weary blue eyes up to a grinning John Colby. "Vanessa," he grumbled, and it said it all.

Colby pulled a chair out from the table and sat in it, leaned back slightly. "I hear you're getting a new roommate," he said, changing the subject for his friend's sake. "Some guy in from New York City, just back from a tour in 'Nam and decided to enlist in the police academy here."

Hutch shoved a spoonful of watery oatmeal into his mouth. "You officially know more than I do," he acknowledged.

"He probably won't last long. Thinks he's tough but he won't know what he's in for between the chow and the classes. I wonder if he's one of those science yuppies." Colby mused, biting into an apple.

Hutch shrugged. "He can't be worse than my ex." He said wryly. "How's your aim coming along? Come any closer to actually hitting the paper target?" he asked before Colby could comment on Vanessa.

"Better than yours," the other grinned, lightly punching the blond's shoulder. "When's the new guy comin' in?"

"I don't even know that. I guess I'm lucky to know I'm getting a roommate."

"Ya know, if you'd stayed married, they might have let you out of the dormitories," Colby laughed, scooting away before a half-hazard punch was thrown his way. "Maybe they'll let you marry the new guy!" he threw over his shoulder. "Catch you in class!"

Hutch gave him a half wave and began to clear his tray. "Oh, sure. That'll definitely make me a sure hire later on." he said under his breath. It was odd, getting a transfer during the term like this. Hutch wondered if he already had some police experience, or if his military experience made him an exception. He was sure to be a hardnosed, all for the rules type guy, which Hutch was okay with, as long as he didn't get any ideas about hassling him.

He glanced down at his wrist watch and his eyes widened at the time. He hadn't realized just how long he'd been on the phone with Vanessa until then. He still had to run back and grab his books before class. Shaking his head, set the tray away and jogged up the stairs to the dormitories at a steady pace. He stopped when he saw the door to his room standing wide open.

Hutch stood in the open doorway, carefully schooling his features. His gaze landed on a dark, curly headed figure who was putting stuff in the empty dresser. He was whistling lowly, practically bouncing on the balls of his feet. Hutch cleared his throat. "Um, hi there."

The young man turned, whistle stopping mid stream. Blue eyes smiled. "Ken Hutchinson?" he asked, his accent proving Colby's description at least partially right. A distinct New York drawl had left his lips. He grinned broadly when Hutch nodded and stretched his hand out to shake the blond's. "Dave Starsky," he introduced himself.

"It's nice to meet you, Dave." Hutch said. "Are you, uh, in the morning ethics in police work class?"

Dave shook his head. "Naw. I don't start until tomorrow. They're giving me the day to get unpacked and do a crash course orientation. You liking it so far?"

Hutch nodded. "Yeah. It's a challenge, but I like it. Hey, I hate to meet and run but I've got class. Maybe I'll catch you later?" Hutch asked. Eye contact, he decided. Dave Starsky had no fear of eye contact and even the briefest conversation had a strange kind of intensity.

"Alright," the dark haired young man answered. "Catch ya for lunch?"

Hutch watched him for half a second before nodding. Starsky grinned and turned back to his unpacking and whistling without another word. The blond shook his head grabbed his books that he needed, heading out the door.

Hutch slipped into his seat last second and leaned over to Colby. "New guy showed up," he whispered.

"Love at first sight?" Colby teased.

"Yes. I proposed on the spot." Hutch drawled.

The teacher cleared his throat. "We have a special guest today to speak to us about ethics specifically in the area of homicide. I'd like to introduce you to Detective Henry Sykes."

The burly man who had been leaning against the chalkboard casually stood to his full height, which was formidable, and ambled towards the center of the room. He was confident, but watchful. Hutch saw him look at every single member of the class, nodding slightly when they made eye contact. Sykes looked surprised for a split second, but hid it well. "Good morning." he said easily. "I've worked in homicide for ten years now in Bay City. Its hard work, brutal, and there are opportunities everywhere. How you use them defines you."

"Yeah, plenty of dead bodies to go around, folks. Don't push and don't shove," Colby murmured and the students around him sniggered. Hutch rolled his eyes.

Sykes smiled. "Yes. There are plenty of them. Keep in mind who you find standing over the bodies and you'll do well. Death is an ugly, brutal business. There are the druggies, the dealers that are easier to take. But the women, the kiddies...what are you going to do when you apprehend the man who murdered his pregnant girlfriend? What kind of justice will you serve him?" He made eye contact with Hutch who was absolutely still. "Go on, the question ain't rhetorical. You got the bastard, struggling against you, blood of an innocent girl on his hands still fresh. Tell me, cadet, what do you do?"

"Cuff him and read him his rights," Hutch said automatically, but his eyes were wide and unnerved. Sykes gave him a small nod and patient smile.

He shifted his gaze to Colby. "And you? Would you do the same? And then smack him in the face with the butt of your weapon? He is, after all, resisting arrest."

Colby cut his gaze to Hutch who didn't take his eyes off Sykes. He didn't like mind games, which was obviously this man's goal. But he couldn't fault the man's record. His clear rate was practically legendary. After the class was dismissed, and the teacher reminded them of the test next week, Sykes grabbed Hutch on his way out. "You have an interest in homicide, young man?"

Hutch momentarily thought of Vanessa. "Sometimes." he answered with a small smile.

"Those of some questions you'll really have to think about if that's the rout you're taking, son," Sykes said with an encouraging nod. "That and a lot more."

"I'll keep that in mind, sir," Hutch said as he glanced at the wall clock. "Sir, if you'll excuse me..."

"Of course. You have other classes. I'm sure I'll be seeing you around." Hutch nodded and scooted out, needing to jog to make it to his next class. That and the next class passed in a blur as he thought about the detective's words. Before he knew it, noon had rolled around and he managed his way to the cafeteria. He didn't even notice that he'd gotten his food and sat down until he heard his name. "Ken Hutch, wasn't it?" Dave Starsky asked as he set his tray down and scooted a chair out for himself. "How was class?"

"Ah, Hutchinson. It was very enlightening." he said.

"That sounds very new agey." Starsky said with a laugh. "What're they teaching here, anyway?"

Hutch looked at him thoughtfully. "Do you think some people deserve to die?" the question was out of his mouth before he could think about it.

Starsky's blue eyes widened and he the sandwich that had been well on its way into his mouth stopped and hung there. "Well... uh... I guess so," he said at last, staring intensely at the blond. "What.. brought that up, huh?"

"Just something the guest speaker in class said. We're going to be dealing with the worst of the worst. They're not always going to get what they deserve." Hutch poked his salad, which had lost any appeal he'd once had for it.

A dark look crossed Starsky's face, a look that seemed like it should be foreign there. "There's plenty of people that don't get what they deserve," he said lowly. "Plenty of good men die and bad ones keep going." He glanced up, his eyes connecting with Hutch's. "You graduated college, didn't you? Stayed out of the war?"

"I did, " the bond acknowledged.

Starsky nodded. "Then I bet you've never seen anyone die."

"Not physically, no." Hutch said after a minute.

John Colby joined them, grinning. "Well, look, it's your first date! You must be the new guy. I'm John Colby, but everyone calls me Colby." He said, offering his hand to Starsky.

"Dave Starsky," the dark haired man answered, shaking the other man's hand. "Date?" Colby grinned and waved it off, watching Hutch look thoroughly embarrassed.

"Guess what I just heard from Sandra down at the dispatch?" Colby asked, eyes sparkling mischievously.

"You have an STD?" Hutch asked.

"Ouch. I'm telling Sandra you think she's that kind of girl." Colby said. "A body just washed up down at the docks. Guess whose jurisdiction it falls under?"

Hutch tilted his head. "Sykes?"

Colby nodded. "You got it, baby."

"Sykes?" Starsky asked around his sandwich.

"The guest speaker I was talking about," Hutch offered.

"I think he'd let us come along for a look if you asked," Colby continued, eyeing Hutch with a look that the blond didn't like.

"Why would you think that?" he asked warily.

"Oh, come on, he obviously liked you." Colby turned to Starsky conspiratorially. "It's no wonder. Your boy Hutchinson here is a boy scout through and through." He turned back to Hutch. "Come on, Hutchinson. I'm dying to do something outside class. You're the ticket."

"Boy scout?" Starsky asked with his nose wrinkled. "Ah, c'mon, Hutch, I had you pegged for a more adventurous type." He turned to Colby. "You think you two could swing one more on this?"

"Guys..." Hutch said. He meant it to come out as a warning, but it fell more to the side of a plea. Two pairs of big eyes turned on him. "Oh, jeeze." Hutch grumbled. "All right, keep your panties on. I'll go ask if we can all go."

A grin broke out on Starsky and Colby's faces. Hutch dug back into his salad, but Colby caught his hand. "You'll have to go now if we hope to get out of the rest of classes today for this."

Hutch started to protest but Starsky cut him off. "We'll treat you later. Go on!" As Hutch was walking away Starsky turned to Colby and asked, "Do you know of any good taco stands around here?"

Hutch groaned to himself, hearing his best friend make nice with his new roommate. This was not a friendship that was going to allow him a breath of air. "Excuse me! Detective Sykes!" he called when he saw the tall cop.

Sykes turned around and looked pleased to see the young man approaching him. "What can I do for you, Hutchinson?"

"Well, sir, one of the other cadets overheard that you might be going out to look at a new case and we were wondering if we might come and observe? We'll stay out of the way." Hutch offered hopefully.

"Down at the docks? I was just about to leave out. You and who else?"

"Colby and Starsky. Starsky just transferred in."

"Green?" the detective laughed. "I don't want to scare the new kid off."

Hutch glanced back to see his friend and roommate standing at the end of the hall. "I don't think that will be a problem, sir. Starsky's former military."

"Vietnam?" Sykes asked and Hutch nodded. "Well, I suppose then. You boys coming?" he called to the two loiterers

Colby and Starsky practically jumped to attention and jogged to catch up to the group. "This will take up the rest of your afternoon, I'll have you know." Sykes said, eyeing each of them. They shrugged, grins unable to be contained.

There was an excited tension all the way down to the docks, all three young men cramped into the back of Sykes' personal vehicle. Hutch was seated against the window, watching the streets fly by until they pulled up and piled out. Cops were swarming the docks and there was what looked like a body bag laid out.

"You don't have to be _that_ excited," Starsky said as he rolled his eyes at Colby.

"It's not that I'm excited the guy's dead," the young cadet explained, "just that we get to see some action."

"You'll be seeing the action from ten feet behind me at all times, if you please." Sykes said.

"Yes, sir." They all chirped. They followed Sykes up to the officer in charge of the scene.

"O'Connor." Sykes greeted. "What have we got?"

O'Conner, stared at the three young men in street clothes hanging around behind the detective, but when no introduction was forthcoming sighed. "Teenage boy. He hasn't been in the water long, from what the ME can tell. Caucasian, no sign of being a druggie."

"How can you tell that?" Hutch asked, squinting towards the bag.

Sykes gave him a look, but grunted at O'Connor when an answer was not immediately given. "Er, well, because there are no puncture marks on either of his arms."

Hutch looked skeptical, but didn't contradict him.

"There are plenty of other ways to do drugs besides shootin' it up," Starsky voiced, looking at O'Conner strangely.

"Listen, kids," the cop said with a frown. "We're working on a murder investigation, so if you don't mind..."

They murmured apologies, but didn't move back any further. When they uncovered the face, Hutch thought it was a credit to them all that nobody upchucked. He certainly felt like it, but couldn't tell if the others did, too. But then, the bloated figure in front of them probably wasn't the worst Starsky had seen. _Or caused._ He thought. Hutch grimaced to himself. It was hard to picture the buoyant young man in that kind of setting. Hutch's eyes drifted over the bruised face before they covered it back up.

"Any ID?" Sykes asked. O'Connor shook his head.

"Coulda been anyone."

"How many missing teenagers could there be in town?" Colby asked, looking a bit green in the face.

"You'd be surprised," Starsky answered. When eyes turned on him he shrugged. "My dad was a cop in New York City. I heard all kinds of stories growing up."

"If you don't mind," O'Conner snapped, cutting off the running commentary.

"In fact, it might be better if the three of you waited by the car. I'll just have a quick word with Officer O'Connor here."

Starsky and Hutch shot each other a quick look, both feeling the reaction was a little too severe. They had no options, though, and the three retreated to Sykes' vehicle. Colby slumped against the hood, dejected. "That sucks." he grumbled.

Starsky watched Hutch, who was slouched, hands in his pockets, but his bright blue gaze was fixed on Sykes, who had his back to him. "Can you make out what they're sayin'?"

Hutch looked startled by the question. "No."

Starsky stepped up next to him, squinting at the distance. "Somethin' about the third one this month," he murmured, his eyes trained carefully on O'Conner. He turned his gaze back to the blond. "You okay?"

"Something isn't right." Hutch said carefully.

Starsky grinned. "Your Spidey sense tingling?"

The severe look on the blonde's face eased and he smiled briefly. "Maybe. Why would Sykes agree to bring us if he didn't want us to overhear what was going on?"

Starsky leaned back on the vehicle, a thoughtful look on his face. "Maybe to give us a sense of what we'd be doing," he thought out loud. "I mean, he probably thought we'd lose our lunches over that and he'd have a point to make." He shrugged. "Or it could be something entirely unrelated. I'm wondering why that O'Conner was so tight lipped about really general stuff. I could understand if it was particular to the case, but the way he was acting was…off."

Hutch narrowed his eyes as a thought struck him. "Maybe he didn't like who he found standing over the body."

Further musings were cut off as Sykes joined them. "All right boys! Back to work for you. Good job not losing your lunches. You all might hack it yet."

"I think the verdicts still out on Colby," Starsky joked, giving the young man a playful shove.

"Shuddup," Colby grumbled.

Starsky grinned as he slid into the car, his mind working quietly on the interesting bit that had been put in front of them. True, it could all be nothing, but there was always that chance, that slim chance, that it was something more. He knew what his gut was telling him, and he wondered if Hutch's was echoing that same idea.

Sykes dropped them off with a wave and a careful look at Starsky, then Hutch. "You boys stay out of trouble now. I'll make sure to say hello if they invite me back."

The three of them waved and watched as he drove away. "Shame that kid had no ID." Colby said. "You think they'll find any family?"

"Hard to say. Face was pretty messed up." Starsky replied.

"Sykes has a great clear rate. You probably need to know who the victim is to find out who killed them." Hutch said.

"What are you two doin' tonight?" Starsky asked suddenly, looking up at the dormitories that they were supposed to be entering. He received two curious glances. "Well, I've been thinking..."

Colby's interest peaked, excited at the prospect of spontaneous mischief. "Yes?"

Hutch looked dubious. "Aren't you supposed to be getting oriented?" he asked.

Starsky shrugged. "Buncha rules and regulations. Can't be any worse than the military." He grinned broadly, a child-like mischief playing in his blue eyes. "What'd ya say that after lights out that we go back down to the docks and do some snooping around?"

"I thought you'd never ask." Colby said. "You never know...we may get promoted to Detective Sergeants straight out of the academy."

_Or expelled, _Hutch thought. But Starsky was right, there was something very strange going on with the officers investigating the case of the unidentified boy. Cop yet or not, someone needed to push. "All right. I'm in." Hutch said finally.

"Either of you have a car?" Starsky asked, looking between the two.

"Hutch does," Colby offered.

"Why my car?" Hutch demanded.

"Because mine's in the shop," Colby answered.

"Then it's settled. Meet up in the parking lot around midnight?" Starsky asked.

"Absolutely. Hutch's car will fit right in down at the docks. We'll be a real undercover operation." Colby said.

When they gathered late that night, Starsky understood what he meant. He started laughing before he even reached the passenger side door. "You've got to be kidding me! Where did you find this tugboat? Wait don't tell me...down at the docks?"

"It was my high school graduation gift," Hutch grumbled.

"Yeah, that's what, five years ago? What the hell happened to it between then and now?" Starsky asked with a laugh. "Will it even make it to the docks?"

"Listen, looks aren't everything, buster. She's a perfect lady. She's trustworthy and reliable and is solid as the rock of Gibraltar. So can it or you can ride in the trunk."

Starsky's laughter abruptly stopped. "That's really mean, you know that?" he said seriously. They piled into the car and Hutch was sure he heard Starsky still sniggering.

"So you don't have a car yet, Starsky?" Colby asked.

"Nah. I sold mine in New York when I finished my service. I'm a free agent now." Starsky replied waggling his eyebrows. "And Hutch, as much as I like ya, I'm not taking your advice for car shopping."

"The trunk is not as spacious as you might think," the blond warned and Starsky slouched in his seat.

"Okay, okay. I get it. Don't make fun of the man's car."

"To his face," Colby piped in from the back

"Imagine how cozy it would be with two of you in there." Hutch mused. "And how quiet it would be in here."

Colby leaned up from the back and grabbed his shoulder. "Hey, cut your lights. I can see the police tape from where they pulled the body in."

Hutch nodded and killed the lights. He pulled the car up behind what looked like a large storage shed and killed the engine as well. Quietly the three young cadets stepped from the car, all jokes dying on their lips. Now it was down to very serious business. There were no more police left on the scene, as nothing was going to be deduced by the moonlight - or what little of the moon shone that night - but the tape clearly told civilians that they were not allowed on the dock at that time. Starsky was the first to scoot under the flimsy barrier and motion to the others.

Hutch was right behind him, wishing they had thought to bring some sort of weaponry. A baseball bat...anything that would help them in a fight. He was a pretty decent fist fighter from his years in college, but the kind of people you might run into out here didn't play by any sort of rules. And if they did it was only one...fight until you or the other guy dies.

"So you think the body had been in the water a while?" Colby whispered.

"No." Hutch whispered back.

"But you said the face was really messed up, and it looked awful." They were standing at the end of the dock, water gently lapping beneath them.

"Most of the swelling was from a beating, didn't you notice the fresh bruises? And the rest of the body wasn't swollen like it had been there a long time."

"What was that?" Hutch and Colby turned at the sound of Starsky's voice. It was hard to make out his face in the dark, but it looked like his eyes were trained on something in the deeper shadows. "I saw something move," he answered the unvoiced question. "Back there. By those buildings."

"Could just be a boat hand," Colby murmured.

"No. This place is sealed off. They're not supposed to be here." The dark haired man stepped towards the sheds, and when he noticed no one was following, he looked back. "You two comin'?"

"Starsky..._we're_ not supposed to be here." Hutch pointed out.

Starsky shrugged. "Suit yourselves." He headed towards the shadows.

Hutch felt something in his stomach twist. "Wait!" he whispered, heading after him

White teeth flashed in a wide grin in the dark. "Change your mind?"

"Well, I can't let you go in without backup," Hutch grumbled. He turned back to Colby. "Watch our backs, alright?"

"No need to ask," his friend answered and the other two men moved upward toward the sheds.

They crept around the side of the first shed, sticking close to the shadows. Hutch caught sight of the movement. Starsky was right again, there was someone else out here on the docks with them. The moved forward until Starsky reached a hand back and caught Hutch's arm. "Wait." he hissed under his breath.

The blond looked nervously towards his roommate. He'd never done anything quite like this before and he wasn't sure what to expect. He watched Starsky count barely moving shadows until he reached a total of three figures in the dark. Three unknown figures that could, potentially, just be boat hands trying to make up for time lost while the police had everything under investigation during the day time. That was the best possibility. The worst was that they were linked to the murder and had come to clear away any more evidence before the police found it the next day.

One of the figures stepped forward, just enough so that his shoes and the bottom half of his pants were visible. "Boss? Is that you?" came the tentative question from the darkness.

Hutch felt his breath catch. He turned a questioning eye to Starsky who was perfectly still. Thankfully they had both thought head to wear dark clothes, and as far as they knew, they were not visible.

"Boss?" the question came again and the two cadets saw the man pull a gun from his belt. "Hey guys, I thought I heard somethin' over there!" he called out to the other two.

Starsky's fingers twisted in Hutch's shirt and Hutch could feel the tension begin to push him back. Retreating was their only option, and it wasn't likely they were going to get away unnoticed. Hutch tensed again when he heard footsteps running in their direction.

"Guys! We gotta get out of here!" Colby's voice rang out.

"Geeze. Run!" Starsky hissed, pushing Hutch back the way they came.

Colby was standing at the bottom of the old, rickety stairs that had led up to the storage houses, and for all the brains that he had, he was standing right in the light. He ducked out of the way as gunshots filled the night, and Starsky immediately ducked and rolled, taking Hutch with him. They landed in an awkward pile of limbs as the blond had not been ready for the movement and Starsky struggled to get up. "Go!" he growled out, trying to untangle himself from Hutch.

"Set it off now!" they heard one of the men yell and the two young cadets finally found their footing.

"That... does not sound good," Starsky managed.

Hutch heard the distinct sound of fire quickly eating its way through an accelerant. He cursed and hauled Starsky to his feet, propelling him towards the water. "Go! Colby, get down!" He shouted. There was a hissing sound and the world behind them erupted

Hutch felt himself lifted off his feet and thrown forward. He might have heard Starsky yell, but he wasn't sure as he found himself tumbling into the water, the moveable substance softening the blow. He forced himself upward and looked around for his friend. Colby might have missed the blast, but Starsky had been right next to him. "Starsky?" he called out, his voice sounding funny to his ringing ears. He bobbed in the water, trying to look around as best as he could.

"Hutch!" Colby called from the bank. At least he'd been able to miss it, apparently.

"Can't find Starsky," Hutch managed to call back, unintentionally gulping in water as he did.

Colby stood from his crouched position, squinting against the darkness and light. His eyes finally came to rest on a figure lying motionless on the edge of the peer, half hanging off and looking unnaturally limp. "I see him!" Colby hissed out, pointing.

Hutch turned in the water, and the sight of the man lying motionless on the pier made his blood run cold. "Starsky?" he called, or tried to. He coughed violently, his body rejecting the ocean water he'd inhaled. He swam towards a place on the dock where he could pull himself out of the water. "Starsky!"

Colby was already at the place and helped haul his friend from the water. "I think we've pushed the limits this time, Hutch," he murmured as they knelt next to the still man.

Hutch didn't reply as he reached a tentative hand to Starsky. It was difficult to tell how badly he was hurt in the lighting they had. "Starsky? Wake up, we need to get out of here," he urged, receiving a groan for his efforts.

"Hutch?" Starsky sounded confused and he tried to sit up, listing violently to the right as he did so.

Hutch caught him and eased one arm over his shoulders. "Hey, buddy. Take it easy. We're gonna get you back, okay? Can you stand up?"

"Did the bad guys get away?" Starsky asked as Hutch and Colby carefully hoisted the curly haired man to his feet

"Yeah, I think so," Hutch murmured. "C'mon, we have to get you to a doctor."

Starsky stopped, squirmy against the two friends. "No, we need to head back to the rooms. If we don't, there's a good chance we'll never see graduation day. They'll throw us out faster than we could tell them not to."

"You were pre-med once upon a time. Think you can patch him up?" Colby asked his friend.

Hutch frowned. "If that's how we've got to do it. Let's go."

It was a slow process, but eventually they got Starsky into the front seat and were on their way. Hutch figured he'd be just fine when he begged to stop for fast food on the way back. And just because they'd been almost blown up, Hutch agreed. It was nearly three in the morning by the time that Colby set off for his own room and Starsky and Hutch limped their way to theirs. After the door closed behind them, both men sank gratefully to their beds. Hutch felt like his back was on fire and he was sure that his shirt was ruined. From his place he glanced over at Starsky, for the first time having any real light to see him by since the explosion. The dark haired man, currently lying sprawled out on the narrow bed, looked slightly flushed and was a bit scraped up, but from where Hutch sat that looked to be the worst of it.

"Your back okay?" Starsky asked suddenly, not opening his eyes as he spoke. "Looked pretty raw when we walked in."

"It's a little sore. Some disinfectant and some aloe and I'll be right as rain. Let me look at your head. I don't want you running around with a concussion."

Starsky waved the probing hands off. Yes, his head hurt, but so did his ribs and he was sure he'd done something to his ankle. His shoulder felt funny, too, now that he was taking inventory. Why did everything always hurt worse an hour or so after? Damn that adrenaline rush.

Hutch considered letting himself be waved off, then changed his mind. He pushed Starsky's hand aside and gently ran his fingers over his roommate's scalp, noting the bump. He noted the slightly swollen shoulder and sore ribs. "I'm going to run down to the first floor and get some ice out of the ice maker. I can wrap your ribs if you like and you should take some i. for the swelling." Hutch said as he stood, pulling the ruined shirt off over his head. He tossed in the trash can and pulled a clean t-shirt out of his drawer. "I'll be right back."

Starsky mumbled an unintelligent response into the bedspread and heard the door shut. He groaned to himself as he tried to sit up, failed, and eventually resigned himself to lying face down against the bed. He had managed, somehow, to come back from two tours in Vietnam relatively intact, and he'd be damned if this got him. He just hoped that it all felt worse than it really was and he'd roll right out of bed for classes the next morning. And training... there'd be a run, for sure. He groaned again at the thought.

Hutch came back to find Starsky snoring softly. He shook his head and jostled him enough to get him to swallow some pills and the man barely stirred after that, even when Hutch cleaned the couple of scrapes and placed bags of ice wrapped in towels against the swollen spots

The blond frowned slightly at how warm the other man's skin felt to the touch and the beads of sweat that had gathered against his forehead in such a short amount of time. "Starsky?" he called quietly. He'd much rather have just gone to bed, but he needed to make sure. "Starsky, wake up, huh?" Two blue eyes fluttered open and his eyelids hung heavily. "What?" he grumbled

"Tell me your name, rank, and serial number. Can you do that for me? And after that, tell me what happened at the dock tonight." Hutch asked quietly.

Starsky blinked several times, shifting his weight so that he had a better look at his roommate. "Listen, Hutch, I know you're playin' doctor and everything right now, but we're going to have a PT run in the morning and I'm going to need a little sleep before that, huh? You too, I'd guess."

Hutch ran a hand over his face and sighed. "Just tell me, damn it, and we can both get some sleep."

Starsky rattled off the information, making a joke about Hutch better not be taking notes on his personal information. He paused when he got to the docks. "You and Colby and me went up there to see if we could figure out anything new because something wasn't right today... You and I went up to the sheds and the men saw us. Somehow we ended up skipping a bunch of space between the sheds and the dock, but that's all a little fuzzy. Did I pass the test, Doc?" Starsky flashed a wide, charming grin at this.

"Yeah. No permanent brain damage assessed." Hutch said dryly. He stood, walked over to his own bed, and collapsed. "Good night, Starsky. Next time, remind me not to let you talk me into snooping around."

The dark haired man chuckled as he braced himself up long enough to pull back the bed sheets and crawl into bed. "You gotta admit it wasn't as bad as it could have been."

"Oh sure. Any step above dead is a bonus." Hutch mumbled. He dragged his pillow under his head, grateful for the cool pillowcase. "Makes you wonder who 'boss' is, though."

Starsky reached up to the lamp and switched it off. "I'd say we can figure that out tomorrow. G'night, Hutch. Been a memorable first day."

TBC

* * *

A/N: So I've come to a conclusion. The creators of Starsky and Hutch had no care for continuality. I'm in the middle of rewatching the series right now (been a fan most of my life and don't think I've ever sat down to watch it straight through) and realized that they're all over the board when it comes to number of years, how these two met, etc etc... We actually started this fic off, originally, with them meeting in Bay City just after they'd each been promoted to Detective and assigned to one another, but then I got to the episode... oh good grief, I don't remember the name, but it's called 'the deadly impostor' or something like that. It's when John Colby shows up... Anyway, I found that one and realized they'd been in the academy together, but the first episode leads you to believe that they'd only known each other 3 years... and they talk about how Starsky's spent time in New York... It's all over the place. Ugh. Anyway, hope you enjoy. R&R please. And we'll have the next part up in the next day or so.


	2. Chapter 2

**chapter two**

* * *

The alarm blared all too soon, and Hutch swung an arm in its general direction. He missed, swung again, and the beast clattered to the floor. It was silent for all of ten seconds before it began ringing again from its spot on the carpet. Hutch groaned and opened one eye. Every part of his body hurt and there was no reprieve in sight until he could collapse in bed fifteen hours from now. He slowly sat up and put his legs over the side of his bed. "Starsky, wake up." he said, hoping it didn't sound too much like a growl.

A groan met him and he saw his roommate shift in the darkness. "Didja get the license on that truck?" he grumbled, face half buried in his pillow. Starsky shifted, glaring down at the still screaming alarm clock, the bells sounding shriller than any others he'd ever heard. He suddenly hated that thing.

"No, but I got a look at the driver. Dark, curly hair, big ideas about snooping around." Hutch grumbled, standing and pulling on his running shorts and shirt. "Training is going to be a bitch." he sighed. "You've got five minutes, buddy." He kicked the alarm clock and it ground to a halt.

"Don't guess I can say I'm sick, huh?"

"I'm not sure that would be a good idea on the first day," Hutch agreed as he sat to lace his shoes. He watched as Starsky rolled out of bed, half falling out. The dark haired man stood and then sat back down on the bed with no real intention on doing so. He took a shaky breath and tried again, this time gaining a firm enough footing to stand upright and make his way to the dresser for his PT gear. This was not going to be fun.

Their PT coach had no mercy. No cutting corners, no slowing down, no stopping to catch your breath. _The perps won't stop for you_, he would shout at them, _and neither will I_.

Colby came along side Hutch in their seventh lap. "How's it hanging?" he grunted. Hutch merely nodded. "Our pal Starsky going to make it?" Hutch made a shrugging motion. Colby grinned. "I met a guy who might know a guy who might know a guy who used to work with a guy who might have been on the docks last night. We should meet up with him later."

"No. I'm done." Hutch said as emphatically as possible. "We almost got blown up, for heaven's sake."

"C'mon, Hutchinson," Colby lamented shamelessly. "We're going to be doing this for a living once we graduate. You gotta break free of that comfort zone of yours. Think outside of your nicely constructed box, ya know?"

"I don't have a nicely constructed box," Hutch grumbled, only bringing a laugh from his friend.

They jogged up next to Starsky and Colby grinned at him. "C'mon, soldier, we just lapped you."

"Shuddup," the dark haired man growled.

"Tell Hutchinson here he needs to get out of his box." Colby instructed.

"I _don't _have a box!" Hutch growled.

"Colby! Hutchinson! Can it out there! You ladies can chat later!" Coach shouted across the field. The other cadets snickered

"You okay, Starsky?" Colby asked after a moment and he was sure their coach had turned away. Starsky grunted an affirmative, but his face was paper-white and he looked like it was taking every ounce of his self control to keep upright.

"You could probably tell coach you're sick. You look like death." Colby said. Starsky glared at him. "Okay, okay. Sorry." Colby jogged away.

An eternity later, the hour ended and they were sent off to shower before their first classes.

"I don't think he's okay," Colby said as he toweled his hair dry.

Hutch glanced over at his friend. "Who?"

"Your roommate. He was real friendly and stuff last night, but he's barely said anything at all today. You think he was hurt?"

"Well, I don't know, Colby, I couldn't imagine why with a building exploding with us only a few yards away," Hutch mumbled sarcastically. The blond sighed and slipped his uniform shirt on, buttoning it up. "We'll see him at breakfast and I'll ask, if it'll make you feel better."

Colby had seen Hutch's back and knew he hadn't gotten off without a scratch either. He lightly punched his friend's arm. "Hey. I'm glad you're all right." he said seriously.

Hutch glanced at him and offered him a small smile. Colby being serious was usually cause for concern. "Yeah. Thanks. Class, then breakfast, yeah?" Starsky was on the B schedule of classes, and wouldn't intersect with them class wise until mid-afternoon. The cafeteria would be the only place to discuss last night's injuries, and Hutch knew what they were going to do next. Colby was a lot of wonderful things, but he was also a bulldog.

Two classes later, the two young men entered the cafeteria for a late breakfast/lunch. It was already filled with cadets, chattering away about various subjects. Even more interesting was the company that stood talking to several of the teachers. Detective Sykes did not show that he noticed them, if he did at all, as they ducked past him and hurried to their usual table that Starsky had met them at the day before. The curly haired man was already there and looked like he was sleeping with his face buried in his folded arms against the table.

Hutch and Colby sat on either side of him and Hutch tapped him on the arm. "Starsky? Hey, Starsky? You okay?"

"I'll go get him some grub." Colby said quietly.

Hutch nodded.

Starsky cracked an eye open. "What time is it?" he muttered.

"Half past ten." Hutch said.

"Good. I have thirty more minutes."

"Maybe you should go to the infirmary." Hutch said.

"Maybe you should mind your business." Starsky replied.

Hutch stood angrily. "Look, it wasn't my idea to..." He looked up at Sykes, who was now looking at them and lowered his voice. "To go mucking about." Hutch finished

"You see we have a guest," Starsky grumbled, looking up and past Hutch. Sykes had turned back to his conversation. "I was under the impression that he didn't get over this direction too often."

"Before yesterday I'd never met him before," Hutch admitted. He frowned and reached a hand out to his roommate's shoulder. He could feel the heat radiating through the uniform. "Starsky..."

"Can it," the shorter man growled out and sat up, eyes fixated briefly on the approaching detective.

"Hello, cadets." Sykes greeted them with a cool smile. "I trust your experience yesterday didn't shake you up too badly?" he slapped Starsky on the shoulder. The young man grimaced but made no sound.

"Oh, no. We've got strong nerves." Hutch said, returning the cool look.

"I bet you do," the detective remarked, eyeing them each carefully. Finally, his eyes rested on Starsky, whose shoulder he still had his hand clasped on. "You don't look so well, Cadet. Sleep well in a new bed?"

"It's a bed," Starsky answered gruffly.

"You boys remember what I said about being careful, don't you? Wouldn't want any sad letters to your mama's." Sykes murmured.

Starsky was nearly out of his chair when Hutch put a hand out, catching his other shoulder. "That's very good advice, Detective Sykes. If you'll excuse us, we have a quiz in our next class."

Sykes narrowed his eyes and nodded. "Stay out of trouble, and your friend, too." He lumbered away smiling and waving to several of the other students

"That no good son of a-"

"Starsky," Hutch hissed, turning so that he wasn't facing the angry young man.

"There's somethin' rotten about him, Hutch," Starsky grumbled. "I don't know what it is yet, but somethin's not right."

A plate was put down in front of him and Colby sat down next to him, grinning. "What'd I miss, fellas?"

"Sykes being an ass." Starsky said. He said down and poked at the food, tossing Colby a grateful look.

"And Starsky being one, too." Hutch added. He grabbed his stuff from the table. "I'll catch you guys later."

Colby watched him go, a surprised look on his face. "What's his problem?"

Starsky shrugged. "I think he's still pissed over last night. Unless he's hiding it, he got off pretty easy for where we were standing. He doesn't have just a whole lot to complain about."

"And you?" Colby asked, his voice low and somewhat serious. "You look like death warmed over."

"I feel like it," Starsky admitted softly, pressing the heels of his hands to his eyes. "Every time I stand up the room spins. I didn't think I'd get through PT this morning."

"Do you need me to snitch anything from the infirmary for you?" Colby asked, picking up an apple and taking a bite out of it. "I know one of the nurses and she uh...looks the other way when I get myself into scrapes. Or patch up other people I've gotten into scrapes."

"Tape for my ribs," Starsky asked, giving an appreciative nod. "I should get to class."

"Alright. I'll have it for you by dinner tonight," Colby promised at the other man stood slowly and walked from the cafeteria.

He slunk down the hall until he nearly ran into a still figure. "A moment of your time, cadet?" Starsky looked up to see Sykes looming over him.

"Somethin' I can do for you, Detective?" Starsky asked, lifting his chin slightly. "I don't have long. I wouldn't want to be late for class on my first day an' all." Sykes gripped his shoulder tightly. Starsky felt his breath catch and he choked back a gasp. "What the hell-?"

"You have time for a chat," Sykes told him and pulled him into an empty class room.

"Listen, I'm not really comfortable with this." Starsky said, backing away from the man.

"No, you listen to me. You seem like an intelligent young man so hear me when I say that taking you boys down to that crime scene was a mistake. In fact, I didn't authorize you to be there at all. The three of you snuck away from class and being the generous man that I am, brought you back when I discovered you hanging around. And if you think anybody's going to take your word over mine you are very, very wrong. You're all troubled boys with questionable backgrounds which could lend itself to making it very difficult for you to stay in the academy."

"Troubled past?" Sarsky scoffed. "Uh-huh. Because a cop's kid that's done two tours in 'Nam is really troubled." He frowned deeply. "What do you want, Detective?"

Sykes just smiled."Oh, but you've heard the reports about some of the boys who've come home from the war. They're never quite right after combat. Don't know how to adjust, keep seeking dangerous situations. How's your back, cadet? Besides, even having a copper dad hasn't kept your baby brother out of trouble with the law, now has it?"

"You leave Nick out of this," Starsky growled. "He's a good kid, just..." He took a deep breath, trying to calm himself. "Listen, I don't know what you've got to cover up, pal, but there's no point in dirtying up three cadets that just want to help the innocent people of this city."

"Maybe you're the sacrificial type, Starsky, but I don't think you're willing to sacrifice the eager Mister Colby or the furtive Mister Hutchinson. The people out there aren't innocent, Starsky, they'll take you for everything they can get. And if you don't keep your nose to the grindstone here and keep it out of my case, I'll finish the lot of you."

Starsky opened his mouth to respond, but Sykes landed a hard blow to his battered ribs. His blue eyes widened and he sank to his knees, vision blurring. "Just a friendly reminder," the detective said as he slipped out the door and into the busy hallway.

The young cadet pitched forward, coughing and fell face down on the rough sucked in a couple of deep breaths and waited for the world to stop spinning. Slowly he stood, anger burning at the back of his throat and at his eyelids. He took a hesitant step forward, and then another.

He slipped into the back of his classroom only five minutes late, and the instructor didn't mention it. He scanned the class to see Colby glancing at him with worry. Starsky scanned the room as he held his ribs. There was one open seat, and no Ken Hutchinson.

He barely heard the lecture until Colby's hand on his uninjured soldier shook him out of his haze. He glanced up, worried blue eyes looking down on him. "We've got a problem," he managed through clenched teeth.

"Yeah, looks like it. You're not going to be able to put off the infirmary."

"Where's Hutch?"

Colby shrugged. "I thought he might have gone to the infirmary, too. He ah...didn't get off as easy as you thought he did." He frowned. "Why? Do you think something else?"

"Yeah, I do," Starsky answered tensely as he forced himself up. He swayed slightly, feeling Colby steadying him. "We need to find Hutch..."

"Okay, let's get your ribs wrapped and then we'll mount a search, yeah? You're not going to be able to go far the way you are now."

"No time. Hutch could be in big trouble." Starsky started off faster than Colby would have thought possible. He followed after him and down the hall. "Where's the last place you saw Hutch? Or Sykes?"

"I haven't seen Hutch since he left breakfast this morning. Same for Sykes. Man, hang on! What's happening?"

Starsky turned on him and grabbed his shoulders. "Sykes knows we were at the docks last night. He threatened me, and I'm willing to be he's willing to do the same you and Hutch."

"Woh... Are you sure?"

"Am I sure? What kind of a question is that? He took me into an empty room and told me that we all needed to drop it. Brought my kid brother into it and everything before breaking the ribs that might have just been cracked. Ya think I'm sure?"

"Okay, you're sure!" Colby reached out and grabbed one of the cadets walking past. "Hey, Denny, you seen Hutchinson?"

Denny nodded. "Yeah. He was headed towards one of the storage sheds out past the track. Said he left something out there during PT this morning."

"Thanks. Let's go, Starsky."

The two young men raced out the back way. There was no sign of their friend as they crossed the field, but they stopped just short of the storage shed. "He could be back there," Colby murmured. "We shoulda gone and gotten someone."

"And said what? A detective is out to get three cadets? That'd go over well," Starsky answered. "Stay here. If you hear me yell, go get someone and think of anything you can to get them out here."

"Oh sure. Fire, bomb, naked women...any of those should send them running." Colby said. He stood and crossed his arms as Starsky crept towards the back of the storage building.

What Starsky saw made his blood run cold. Hutch lay on the ground behind the shed, his back and his face bleeding. He was curled on one side, hair mussed, and if it weren't for the blood Starsky might have thought he was sleeping.

After a quick glance he rushed towards his roommate. "Colby! Get a doctor!" he yelled out, sinking to Hutch's side. "C'mon, buddy," he said, his voice shaking. He reached his hands out to the blond. "C'mon, Hutch, wake up."

Hutch didn't stir and Starsky pressed his fingers against the cool skin to check for a pulse. Bile rose in his throat; Sykes had pegged him from the word go. He could take whatever he was handed. He could take the threats, the hits, the possibility of losing his place at the academy. But not this. Not an attack on a guy he barely knew who had been nothing but nice and considerate since he got there. A guy he had talked into this mess. He hovered closes to his roommate. "Hey, you're alive. You're gonna be okay, Hutch. Can you hear me, pal?"

He was shaking, but not from his own injuries this time, but from the dread that was building up inside of him. "Dammit, Colby, did you hear me?" he yelled out when he realized he'd gotten no response. He pulled Hutch up into his arms, cradling him. Two blue eyes fluttered slightly and then slid very slowly open. Starsky's eyes lit up at this. "Hutch?"

Hutch groaned. "Starsky..."

Starsky smiled lopsidedly. "Heya, sunshine. Looks like the truck came back for another round. Just hang in there. Colby's gettin' a doctor."

Hutch curled his fingers into Starsky's sleeves. "Sykes...we've got to stop him." Hutch said through gritted teeth.

"We will, buddy, but first we've got to get you patched up." He paused, surveying the damage caused. "I think we may have found the boss that that guy was looking for."

"How're we gonna turn an established detective?" Hutch rasped.

"What, were you sleeping through all your classes? With evidence, of course." Starsky said. "Where the hell is Colby?"

"They're right around here," Colby's voice drifted around the shed. He skidded to a halt with the man that Starsky recognized as the PT coach from that morning in tail.

The coach's dark eyes rested on the pair and widened slightly. "What the hell happened you two?"

"We were mugged." Starsky said. "He needs a doctor."

"Take it easy, son, the boys are bringing a stretcher to get him to the infirmary. House calls behind the shed ain't gonna help anyone." The coach said mildly.

Starsky was pried away from the barely conscious Hutch as they lifted him up and onto the stretcher. Colby looked about as green he did the day that they'd seen the dead body. Had that really only been a day before? Starsky leaned heavily on the shed, feeling the shakiness return now that Hutch was safe... relatively.

"Mugging?" he heard next to him and turned to see the coach.

"Yeah. Big ol' guy."

"Cadet... Starsky, wasn't it? Listen, son, you're going to have to get a bit more creative than that if you're going to fool the right people. Hutchinson is not a pushover, and I'd guess you aren't either."

"I'm not sure what you're getting at, sir."

The coach narrowed his eyes. "Just be careful, son. And don't be afraid to ask for help if you need it. Here, let's get you to the infirmary, too."

Starsky accepted the supportive arm, and Colby crested his other side. Both young men kept watch on the grounds, but saw nothing. Neither of them had seen anyone leaving when they found Hutch, which meant he'd been laying there for a while.

Nurses were already buzzing about Hutch when they entered. One stopped and turned to look straight at Starsky. "An other one? What are you doing to these poor boys that they're dropping like flies?" she demanded, pointing what looked like a chart at the coach who threw his hands up in mock surrender.

"Nurse O'Brien, you can't blame me for this one."

"I don't even want to hear it," she growled out. "Sit here. Well, hurry up now." Starsky stared wide eyed at the petite, feisty woman as she pointed at a cot. "I haven't got all day, you know." He sat obediently.

"This one is going to need stitches." She said, coming back around. She got right in the coach's face. "Listen to me, Coach Baker, I understand the importance of making sure these boys are in proper physical condition, but this is ridiculous!" She looked at Starsky. "You're holding your ribs. Are they bruised?" Starsky nodded, afraid to answer. She whirled back on Coach Baker. "Ribs!" she nearly shouted, exasperated. She stomped away, grabbing a blank form for Starsky to fill out.

"Why do I always get blamed for these things?" Baker grumbled and shot a glare in Starsky's direction. "And you, kid, can have an extra five laps when you're back on your feet."

"What for?" Starsky demanded.

"For not telling her I didn't do this to you!"

"She's scary!"

A silence stretched between them and the coach chuckled. "You haven't seen the half of it." He paused, leaning back against a counter. Nurse O'Brien handed Starsky the paperwork and told him to fill it out before she could do anything for him. Baker frowned after her as she left. "Could be dying and she'd still have to have you fill out paperwork..."

"I heard that," came the warning from the other side of the room, from behind the curtain where Hutch was being treated.

Baker leaned close to Starsky. "You should see her when I'm late picking her up for a dinner date."

Starsky's hand faltered and his signature became more elongated than normal. "Uh...I..."

Suddenly O'Brien was back, whisking his form away. "Go sit on that cot over there. Move!"

He stood and suddenly found himself on the floor. He wasn't sure what happened in between the two events to put him on the cold tiles, but he had landed in a heap. The nurse let out a startled sound and Baker knelt next to him. Starsky could vaguely hear the coach calling his name, but it sounded distant, like he was hearing it through a tunnel. He blinked rapidly, trying to clear his vision.

"Devin, I think one of these ribs is broken." O'Brien said, her voice still far away.

"I swear I did not make them do anything that would end up in broken ribs."

Hutch's voice joined them, from further away. "Starsky? What's happening to him? Starsky!"

Starsky felt arms ease him away from the floor and onto the cot. Uniform shirt was pulled away the nurse let out a low whistle.

She turned to Hutch. "Sit down! Good heavens... all of you today... what _happened_?"

"The truth," Baker warned.

Starsky opened his mouth to give an answer, really, but closed it again when he felt like breakfast was coming up to meet him.

O'Brien waved Baker away. "Later. I need to get them wrapped, stitched, and hydrated." He hesitated and she stood. "Go!" she barked. He gave Starsky the evil eye and left the room

Starsky tried to focus on Nurse O'Brien as she moved about, on the sound behind his cot that he thought might have been Colby trying to see what was happening, or on Hutch yelling in the background. "Really hurts," he managed to croak out and he felt cool hands against his fevered face.

"What's happening?" Colby asked shakily. His eyes were wide.

"You're friend has a broken rib and several others are bruised. Plus, he's exhausted and might have an infection from some of these cuts. We'll take care of him, okay? I just need you to go sit over there." She said, the most gentle she'd been since they got there.

Colby nodded and sat where he was told. There was a long silence as O'Brien and the other nurses fluttered around Starsky and Hutch. After what seemed like an eternity they had Hutch lying flat on his stomach, back treated and gauzed. He was fully awake by this point and shifted uncomfortably to try to see his roommate. Starsky was lying on the cot that the nurse had set him back on. She'd wrapped his ribs and covered him up, placing an IV in his arm. "You too, Mr. Hutchinson," she said sternly.

Hutch closed his eyes and drifted off into an uneasy slumber.

Some hours later, he awoke to Nurse O'Brien shaking his shoulder gently. "Hutch? You need to take some of these antibiotics now. Also, you got a phone call. while you were sleeping." Hutch groaned and shifted so he could sip some water.

"A call? From who?" She shrugged her slender shoulders. "Said her name was Vanessa, and she'd call back later."

Hutch rolled his eyes and groaned louder. "Can you just tell her I'm dead or something? Maybe she'll leave me alone..."

"Now she sounded like a very sweet young lady," the nurse chided.

Hutch scoffed at this, shaking his head. "Sweet is the last word I'd use to describe her." He closed his eyes and shifted slightly. O'Brien had several pills in her hands and she held them out. Slowly, carefully, Hutch sat up and took them. "How's Starsky?" he asked after swallowing both pills and water.

"Still sleeping. You two took a beating, but you'll mend just fine. Just remember, you don't have to tell Baker anything you don't want too. But he is a good man to have in your corner." She answered. "I'll have your assignments sent to your rooms. I'll release you both later tomorrow."

"Did Colby-"

"He's the one gathering both of your assignments."

Hutch nodded, glancing over at his sleeping roommate. He hadn't asked for this, he thought. He just wanted to graduate and start helping people. He didn't like the idea of dirty cops and his friends being potential targets. "Nurse? Do you know anything about Detective Sykes?"

"Sykes?" O'Brien repeated, looking as if she were reaching deep into her memory and grasping at thin air. "Can't say as I have. Is he one of your teachers?"

"No ma'am... just a speaker we had. It's nothing."

She eyed him carefully and then told him to get some rest, leaving him and Starsky alone in the room.

Hutch shut his eyes again and pressed the side of his face into the cool pillowcase. This whole thing was completely insane. Two days ago he'd been happily oblivious to the existence of Sykes, his shady dealings, and Dave Starsky. Colby was bad enough, talking him into bad ideas and crazy antics. He didn't need this kind of trouble when all he wanted was to graduate, get onto a force in the area, and move on with his life. But he couldn't deny they had stumbled across a wrong that need to be fixed, and he couldn't deny the sharp fear for his roommates safety when he'd been cornered behind the shed.

He was left to his dreams that night of all that had happened and all that could have happened. Over and over again he'd wake with a start, blue eyes snapping open to find that it had not turned out as bad as it could have. Yet. Every time he gave into sleep again and repeated the process.


	3. Chapter 3

Notes: Alright, the fic has been officially finished and there will be one more installment after this one. I recently have been having a bit of computer trouble, so my apologies for the lack of updating. Also, my apologies as well for the length of this one. Because it's written in a chat format between Gabrielle Day and myself, we don't write it in terms of great breaks for chapters. I have to figure that out as I post. I'd originally been posting according to days, and thought it would be a three-four day adventure for our boys, but this day became faaaar to long. Bear with it, please. Enjoy!

The next morning came much too soon for Dave Starsky, as the lights were turned on and the sound of the frightening Nurse O'Brien scuttling about could be heard. He cracked an eye open and then shut it again, hoping that he hadn't been spotted. A few more minutes wouldn't kill him.

"Hey, Nursie. Either of my boys awake?" Colby's cheerful voice filled the room.

"Excuse me?" O'Brien said, tone indicating there was one right answer.

"Erm, Nurse O'Brien, ma'am, your highness, may I have permission to visit one of the invilids?"

O'Brien's lips quirked, not quite a smile. "Hutchinson is awake. Speak quietly, Starsky's still sleeping."

Colby ducked and scrambled behind the curtain to Hutch's cot. "Hey, man. How you feelin'?"

"Hey. I'm all right. Stiff, sore, but I'll survive."

The bed creaked as Colby sat on it. "Listen," He lowered his voice, "I've kept my ear to the ground and there is no new evidence about the dock body, which isn't good forty-eight hours later. But here's the deal, if this is a shady cop, he's got a history. We're gonna need to look at his old cases."

Hutch sighed and heard the sounds of O'Brien stepping back out into the hallway. Seconds later the curtain pulled back and Starsky joined them, looking just as stiff and sore as Hutch felt. "He knows we're onto him, so this isn't going to be easy," he said, his voice still heavy with sleep. He ran his hands over his eyes roughly and leaned against the wall. "That is... if we're all still game," he added, glancing at Hutch.

"Screw you." Hutch grumbled. "If you think I'm going to let a bastard like that get away with killing kids and beating up cops. Well, almost cops."

Colby beamed. "Great. Since you guys slept through the end of the week, we can go off campus without issue when you guys are released."

"I feel like I coulda slept off the end of the year and still not had enough," Starsky complained.

Hutch sat up slowly and glanced at Colby. "Didn't you say you had a lead somewhere?"

"Someone that knows someone and down the line and all," his friend agreed.

"Yup. We can meet him tonight, if you boys are sprung from the lovely Nurse O'Brien. Plus, I know a girl in records,"

"Do you know a girl everywhere?" Starsky asked.

"Yes." Colby and Hutch answered at the same time, Colby with a grin and Hutch with a roll of his eyes.

"She can get us some info on some of the older cases."

"And she said that you were asleep," a voice complained as the curtains were suddenly pulled back all the way. Coach Baker stood in the now open room and crossed his arms. "If I didn't know better, I'd think you boys were scheming something potentially dangerous."

Three charming smiles greeted his comment. "Good thing you know better, huh, Coach?" Colby said.

Baker raised an eyebrow. "You owe me fifteen laps, Colby."

"For what?"

"For being snarky," Baker grumbled. "And you two," he started, eyeing Starsky and Hutch.

"Now, Coach, we're not going to be cleared for PT for a good week. These kinds of things take time to heal, ya know?" Starsky offered with a grin.

Baker snorted. "I'm sure." He shook his head and his look turned serious. "I told you not to be afraid to ask for help, boys, so remember that. Especially when you go kicking at ant hills like Sykes."

Three pair of blue eyes widened.

"Yeah, that's what I thought. You boys didn't think I've always been a coach for rookies like you, did you? Sykes is a viper. He moves quietly, hides his dirty laundry behind the clean linens he hangs out for people to see. Cops either go bad or get gone if they're around him for too long." Baker said, crossing his arms. "I've seen it."

"We know not everyone plays be the rules, Coach," Starsky murmured, all joking now put aside.

"That doesn't mean that we can just sit back," Hutch agreed. "Something has to be done, and... well... we're kinda too deep to turn back now. It's sink or swim."

"So Sykes' guys beat you up." Baker said, not questioning. The three friends exchanged glances and nodded slowly.

"Sykes himself, in my case." Starsky said. Baker eyed Hutch.

"They surprise you, cowboy?" Hutch dropped his gaze.

"Yeah."

"All right. I'll talk to Diana about getting you out of here. But you need me, you let me know."

They watched him leave and Colby let out a breath he didn't know he was holding. "Guess this guy's been bad news for a long time."

Starsky put his hand to his face. "This guy pisses me off."

Hutch nodded, watching the place where Baker had left as if the man were still there. He didn't know exactly what Sykes had done to him, but his imagination ran wild. The man had known without much to go on exactly what had happened. He knew in a vague sense what they were planning to do, and the strange thing was, he didn't appear to be about to stop them. In fact, he'd offered help. He opened his mouth to voice his thoughts when Diana O'Brien swooped back in.

"Oh good, you're all awake and well enough to move around, I see. I'd like to do one more check of each of you and then I'll let you out of here on the condition you rest, rest, eat, and rest some more." She said. "Are you here for a hepatitis shot, Mr. Colby?"

"Um...no?"

"Are you sure? It's not the biggest needle I have, but then, where you get it you can't really see the needle anyway." She smiled sweetly.

"I'll meet you guys at your room later, okay?" Colby said to Starsky and Hutch. He scooted away, safely out of the reach of Nurse O'Brien.

Starsky and Hutch stifled their laughter in fear of receiving the same threats on their end. The nurse motioned for Hutch to lie down on his stomach, and began pulling back the wrapping on his back. He cringed as some of the tape stuck to his skin. "Oh, it's not that bad," she fussed, nimble fingers adding fresh ointment to injuries. "Do you normally sleep on your back?"

"Sometimes," the blond answered.

"Well, I wouldn't for a while."

"I think he'll figure it out quick enough," Starsky grinned from his spot.

"You're turn," she answered him in the same tone that could have been used to threaten someone.

Redressed and armed with over the counter pain relievers, Nurse O'Brien deemed them well enough to venture back into the wide world. She repeated her warning. "I mean it. Rest. Time may not heal all wounds, but yours it will as long as you aren't planning anything foolish that could involve running, sprinting, vaulting, shooting, or anything else violent. Understood?" They both nodded and shuffled out of the infirmary, for all the world feeling like five year old boys caught roughhousing.

Coach Baker stepped up and put a gentle hand on one of her arms. "They'll be fine."

"They're planning something, aren't they? You know what he's capable of... will you stop them?"

Baker frowned and shook his head. "Hutchinson said that they were already too far in to turn back now, and I don't know if he knew how right he was. Sykes wouldn't let them forget this if they could. He's getting paranoid the further he goes along."

She covered his hand with her own, and said nothing else. She too, had seen what damage Sykes could do when he felt threatened. He was a killer, there was no question about it. Diana knew it wasn't her place to protect them from getting hurt, only to sew them back together when they fell down.

"Ya know, I feel like I just lied to my mother or somethin'," Starsky complained when they finally rounded the corner and were able to enter their own room. It was Friday and classes were still on, but they had passes in order to rest. The New York native flopped back onto his bed and listened to Hutch shuffling around. "Not that my ma is scary like that Nurse O'Brien or anything..."

Hutch made a noncommittal sound of agreement and picked up the stack of papers lying on his bed. Gifts of readings from Colby, no doubt. He started flipping through the assignments, facing away from Starsky. His mind was only half on what he was reading, the other half lost in the implications on Sykes' record if he was a dirty cop. If they could prove him dirty, and stay alive, all his cases would have to be reopened. Guys who really did deserve what they got might get way, in the end, because of one man's greed. But if they didn't go after him many things could happen. More of those teenage kids could be zipped up in body bags, washed in from the tide. Kids that didn't deserve to die so young.

"So what do you think happened between Baker and Sykes?" Starsky asked from where Hutch had almost assumed he'd fallen back asleep on his bed.

"I think he was a good cop that got brought low. Sykes either set him up for a fall...or threatened something he cared about." Hutch murmured in reply. It could happen easy enough. Get a man cornered, backed into a wall, whisper things like _we've got your friend or your lady _and _we'll kill them if you fight back _and all kinds of crazy could happen in a man's head. Hutch was beginning to wonder if you could protect the good while chasing the evil. Eventually, something had to give. He thought about his dreams that had plagued him the night before and gave a shiver.

"You alright?"

"Yeah," he answered, glancing back to where Starsky's intense blue eyes were trained directly on him.

"You know, if we go after him, we can't pull back. He may try the same stuff again, but we can't pull back."

"I know."

"Even if-"

"I know, Starsk," Hutch bit out.

The elder man let out a quiet sigh. "Sorry. I know you know. It's just... I figured by joining the police force I'd at least know where the bad guys were coming from, ya know? It's not like they hide in the trees waiting for you here."

"At least you can rest assured that Sykes in a tree would be pretty easy to spot." Hutch said with a soft smile.

Starsky looked at him sharply, the broke into a grin himself. "You're all right, Hutchinson. You're all right."

Hutch shrugged, still smiling and turned back to his papers. "By joining the academy...pursuing the force...we already committed to stopping him. Even before we knew it. If we were to ignore it, let it go on, we'd be no better than him. And then what happens when we leave here, join whatever city department we can and run into him again? No. It has to be now." Hutch said quietly

Starsky nodded, and sighed deeply. He'd spent his younger years looking up to his father for being a police man, running down the baddest of the bad. Then he'd traveled overseas to try and do his part. Now, he felt like he was about to face one of the hardest trials of his adult life. Even if he had told Hutch that they should be ready for anything, he'd halfway been talking to himself. He wasn't fighting a war anymore. He'd done everything he could when he came home to bring himself out of that mentality so that he could live day to day, so the still Ken Hutchinson behind an old shed struck him harder and deeper than he thought was possible.

"I'm glad you're all right." Hutch said, half to Starsky and half to himself. He lowered the papers and set them on his dresser. As angry as he'd been with Starsky for acting like an ass and for marking his caution as being cowardly, it had mostly subsided when Starsky had come to find him behind the shed. He was a cautious man as a rule, and kept most of his friends at a comfortable distance. Colby was the closest friend he'd had since he was a kid, and even he didn't know a lot of things about the blonde. And yet Starsky had come to find him, and stayed with him. It was more than he ever expected of even the people he did count as friends.

"Right back atcha," Starsky responded as watched his roommate's back. "Ya know, for a minute, when Colby and I found you, I thought we were too late." Hutch turned to find a strange look on the curly haired man's features. "Let's not replay that again, 'kay?"

Hutch tilted his head, their gazes locking for long minute. He nodded slowly. "Yeah. Sounds good to me."

Starsky settled in for a much wanted nap - especially if they had plans to be up and around all night - and Hutch to his studies after that. Several hours ticked by before the door to their dorm room burst open, a very unnerved John Colby left in the opening. He didn't wait for an invitation before enter and slamming the door shut behind him, locking it. He turned wild, frightened blue eyes towards his friends and gulped breaths of air.

"What the hell happened to you?" Starsky asked, wiping the sleep from his eyes.

Colby held up a hand full of papers. "This ain't it," he announced as he placed them in Hutch's outreached hand. The blond flipped through them as Colby glanced nervously back at the door.

"Did you get caught or something?" Starsky asked.

"How many guys jumped you?" Colby asked Hutch, still gasping for breath.

"Uh, two." He frowned. "Why?"

"I think they might be hanging around. I didn't see Sykes, but there were two guys hanging around when I left Helen at the office. I ran back in and asked her to stash the rest. I kept just some basics. I don't know if they followed me or not."

"It doesn't matter if they followed you." Hutch said wryly.

Colby looked at him, confused. "Why?"

Hutch pointed to a bruise on his face. "They sort of already know where we are."

"You don't think they'd rough Helen up, do you?" Colby asked as if the idea hadn't struck him before. Hutch frowned thoughtfully.

"She's not off for another two hours. She's alright until then, right? You think?"

"Sykes isn't going to bring anyone else into this that could squeal later, and he's not going to risk killing a girl on the campus grounds like that," Starsky said quietly.

"Then we have to worry about ourselves," Colby concluded.

"What the hell did you find on this guy?" Hutch asked, thumbing through the paperwork.

"There's nothing concrete. There are rumors, suspicions, but nothing more than that. Officers who made reports and then had corruption discovered in their careers. Not enough to cause scandal, but enough to cause their careers to be crippled. Bodies that turned up of snitches, others. There's an unnerving trail of John Does behind him." Colby said, crossing his arms. "Among the officers that made reports about Sykes' suspicious behavior?"

"Baker." Starsky and Hutch said together.

A nervous smile that showed he found no humor in the fact at all crossed Colby's lips. "However could you have guessed? And also a certain Diana O'Brien lost a brother on the Bay City police force that went head to head against Sykes. He filed a report and less than a month later turned up... somewhere."

Hutch's eyes widened as he came across the particular issue. "Down at the docks... with signs of drug abuse," he read. "It says that the case was closed and Officer O'Brien, an undercover detective in narcotics, was declared to have slipped into what he fought against. Wow..."

Starsky frowned in disgust. "What a bastard. There's no question about bringing this guy down."

"Our best bet is the current case. We need to look at that body and find out if there are any missing officers. Or snitches." Hutch said.

"How are we going to find out about missing snitches?" Starsky asked.

"We talk to the head snitch in the area." Colby said.

"The guy of the guy who knows a guy who had lunch with a guy." Hutch said

"Absolutely," Colby said proudly. "Great guy. You two will love him. Listen, classes just wrapped up so I'm free for the day. You two ready to hit the streets?"

"What, we have to go looking for him?"

"No! Of course not. I got a hold of him this morning. He's going to meet us at a little diner by the docks."

Starsky and Hutch exchanged glances. This was going to be interesting.

"I'll drive." Colby offered. "My car's back and she is lookin' good, friends. Besides, if they've seen Hutch's car we probably shouldn't take it." "Don't worry. It doesn't look like mine." Hutch said to Starsky, who grinned. "Thank God for that."

The three cadets scooted past the teachers and were out at the car in no time. A rotten sort of feeling hit each of them as they pulled past the destroyed shed at the docks with all of the new police tape around it and up to the diner that faced it. It was bustling with shady figures as if nothing had happened. After the car was parked, the three stepped out in silence and entered. Colby's eyes lit up when he spotted their man. "Hey, buddy!" he called as he approached a figure in the back. Starsky and Hutch hung back, eyeing the snitch as their friend met him with the utmost trust in his handshake.

Starsky leaned his head close to Hutch. "You've known him for a while. I don't mean to sound like I don't have faith in your boy, here, but...do you think this guy's reliable?"

Hutch tilted his head a little closer to keep the other bar patrons from hearing him. "I trust Colby. But we are in a place called The Dive. And people are staring at us." he murmured. This now included Colby and his friend, an attractive African-American man who appeared to be in his late twenties. He was dressed in a paisley shirt and dark green corduroys. Colby waved them over to the table.

"Well, here we go anyway," Starsky murmured under his breath and flashed an uneasy smile.

"Guys, I'd like you to meet Huggy Bear. Huggy, this is Ken Hutchinson and Dave Starsky."

"Please, fellahs, have a seat," Huggy offered, motioning to the table he was already seated at. He looked like he could swindle anything from anyone if he so pleased. Starsky and Hutch slid into the booth, eyeing the new man carefully. Huggy leaned back. "I hear you're lookin' for a bit on old Henry Sykes."

Starsky and Hutch exchanged a glance. "Yeah. We, uh, sort of stumbled into his nasty side. We don't yet have a record to tarnish, so if we don't get him he'll be gettin' us first. My ma always told me never to wear cement shoes." Starsky said.

A waitress swung by, all tight curves and a bright smile. She placed a beer in front of each of them and winked at Huggy, who winked back. They all watched her walk away until her sway vanished behind the counter.

Huggy turned back to the boys. "You boys gotta realize Sykes is a bear. Many a hunter's gone into the woods and wound up fertalizer." he said, taking a swig of his beer.

"Bears can be taken down," Hutch said thoughtfully. "Just depends on how big of a gun you need."

Huggy frowned. "You seem like a good bunch of kids, I hear down the line that you are." He glanced at Colby. "What, if I may be so bold, did you stumble on that put you on his hit list?"

Starsky leaned back, eyeing Huggy carefully. "What do you know about the kid found down at the docks two days ago? Washed up with no ID."

"No ID my well defined ass." Huggy said with a snort. "His name was Arlen Feliz. He was a kid who showed up in the area about two months ago. No family, no history, which don't matter too much to us 'round here. Don't matter much where a man came from as long as he knows were he's goin'. Feliz, though, apparently wasn't sure about his desired path of travel, or his companions. About two weeks after he got here, we quit seein' him around. One of my boys tells me he's turned up with Ram's crew on the docks."

"Ram?" Starsky questioned.

"He's knew to Bay City," Colby explained in a way that made Hutch wonder if _he_ knew who Huggy was talking about.

"I noticed." Huggy said with a smile. "Ram runs a crew outta the docks. Mostly hard labor, but they do a lot of ah...side businesses. Girls, smack, not much of the harder stuff. They rope their guys in with a big initial payout. The ones they deem expendable they string out, get 'em hooked. The ones they want to join the administration side of things get a better deal."

"Let me guess, the administration side is a pretty exclusive group." Hutch said.

"You got it, man. A kid like Feliz doesn't stand a chance. Ram, however, has about as much brains as his animal namesake." Huggy said.

The four of them sat in silence, the wheels turning in the cadets' heads. Hutch finally perked up. "What do you know about a young cop named O'Conner? Anything? He was at the docks the day Feliz's body washed up. Didn't put a lot of effort into any of it and got really jumpy when we started asking questions."

"Blond? Freckled? Thinks he's bad stuff but doesn't look like he could pin a fly to the wall?" Hutch kept his straight face and nodded. Huggy sipped at his beer. "All I know about him is that he runs with Sykes a lot. That and he's got two thugs at his beck and call. He or Sykes either one need to do someone in, that's who they call."

Huggy didn't miss the way Hutch tensed, or the way Starsky looked at the blonde sitting next to him. Both of them took a sip of their beers, almost in perfect unison but neither of them noticed. Huggy looked at Colby who just shrugged with a small smile. "So we can probably assume Ram is taking orders from O'Conner, Sykes, or both." Colby mused.

"Probably O'Conner." Huggy agreed. "I can pretty much guarantee you Sykes wouldn't dirty himself by associating with someone below the thin blue line, if you get my meaning."

"That's how he stays clean. He uses other cops as a cover and when he's done with them he buries them." Hutch said. Huggy nodded

"This is all still hear-say until we find solid evidence," Starsky grumbled. "I mean, if we hadn't gone down to the docks one of us _might_ have been able to swing an undercover into the lower ranks of Ram's organization, but O'Conner would recognize any of us."

"Yeah, and we'd do that with what time? Between classes as cadets?" Hutch pointed out the obvious. "What if we started talking to people he's already messed with? Baker and Nurse O'Brien might be willing to-"

"If he's gone after them before, there ain't no way that either one of those people'll say a word against 'im," Huggy said quietly. "That's how he works."

"Baker offered us help. If he wants to see Sykes taken down like we think he does, we've got to try talking to him." Hutch said.

"Sykes likes the mind games," Starsky agreed, taking a quick glance at Hutch, "And if what he said to me is any indication, he'll start taking people down as collateral damage quick. We're sort of on a time crunch."

Huggy gave a shrug. "All I got for you boys is information."

"Appreciated, Huggy," Colby acknowledged as he slipped a bill into the man's thin hands.

The snitch gave a grin and stepped out from the booth, watching all three cadets do the same. He watched them go with a strange feeling of dread at the pit of his stomach. He was not looking forward to the end results of their escapades, but knew that there was nothing that could be done about it. Huggy Bear shook his head and sat back down, motioning for the pretty waitress to bring another beer. He'd hear soon enough, if Sykes worked as fast as he usually did.

The police academy was buzzing with activity when the three young cadets pulled back into the parking lot. They were met nearly on entry by a very frazzled looking Nurse O'Brien. "Good heavens, boys," she gasped out, hand clutched to her blouse. "I thought the worst!"

"What happened?" Starsky asked, surveying the sight.

O'Brien looked shaken as she glanced behind her. "Miss Helen Renolds was found dead on the furthest section of the grounds," she managed.

"Damn," Colby breathed, eyes widening. "That isn't even possible! How could he have known?" he hissed.

Starsky and Hutch glanced at each other and shrugged. "I don't know, buddy." Hutch said.

Diana touched each of their arms as if to reassure herself they were all in fact standing there. "I'm so glad you all are all right." she breathed.

"Yeah, but there's a good chance we could end up like Helen, or that other people we know could be on a hit list." Starsky said grimly. "We need to talk to Coach Baker. Now." he added firmly.

Diana looked between them and saw the determined look on their faces. She grimaced, knowing that the secrets of the past she and Devin had tried so hard to keep hidden were about to unfold all over again. Slowly, she nodded. "He's in his office. Come on."

The three cadets followed the petite nurse through the chaos that was the current police academy. Uniformed cops didn't give them a second glance, and thankfully neither did one of the few plain-clothed detectives that stood over the body of the deceased girl. They went out of their way around Sykes and finally landed in the back of the gym where Baker's office was located. It was quiet. Deserted. O'Brien motioned for them to hold back as she pushed open the door.

Baker's voice could be heard from inside. "This has gone too far, Diana. We can't just stand by anymore. That girl is next and those boys will be next on his list. You've seen how he wor...ks." His voice faded off as he turned to see the three young men in question at the entrance.

Devin and Diana shared a long look, and her fear broke his heart. He had promised her safety, promised her that he would do anything to protect her, protect himself. Never did he think that might mean facing the demons of his past, of their past. But it was here, and in his heart of hearts he was still the fresh young faced officer that had proudly stepped into the streets his first day on the force, ready to right the world of wrongs, ready to bring justice to his people. He smiled sadly. Justice. He motioned them all towards his office in the back.

"You're right. It's past time."

"This is insane," Colby was saying as O'Brien closed the door behind them. "I went to Helen for a few files... he shouldn't have even known!"

"You'd be surprised how much he knows, and who's on his payroll," Baker murmured, taking a seat behind his desk.

Hutch looked up on the wall and noted, seeing them for the first time, the awards that covered it. This man had been an outstanding police officer and would have gone very far if given the chance. "What did he do?" the blond asked.

Baker's dark eyes shifted so that he was looking at nothing in particular. "The same thing he always does. If anyone gets in too close, he threatens them, but if that doesn't work, he starts taking out those around them, and if that still doesn't work, he kills the person himself."

"And no one questions it when people are dropping around him like flies?" Starsky growled out.

"Of course they question in," Baker bit back. "But you only question it for so long when you have family, friends, even just acquaintances that he looks at. All the Helen Renolds of the world start to weigh on you when you know hat it's because of one man's dirty dealings. He keeps himself too far away from the action to be linked quickly enough."

"And those who can implicate him get killed if they get too much information, don't they?" Hutch asked.

Baker nodded. "Even a whiff of being a snitch is enough to get yourself killed around this man. He's ruled with a silent, iron fist for going on twenty years. As grotesque as that is, it may be your one advantage."

"How so?" Colby asked.

"There's no such thing as the perfect crime. Twenty years is a long time in which not to make a single mistake." Hutch said.

Starsky nodded. "Somebody knows something. Better yet, somebody has proof." He turned an appraising eye on the coach. "So what did you find that got you snuffed?"

Baker took a deep breath. He'd spent a good many years burring his knowledge in a secluded, dark place in his mind that he hoped no one could get to. "Erik O'Brien, Dianna's brother, was my partner," he said slowly. "We'd just made detectives when we ran into Sykes." Hutch glanced over to the nurse and saw that she was backed into the corner, her eyes wide and seemed to be playing over the same memories. "At first it was flattering, he took us under his wing, mentored us. It was a gift, a godsend. Other new officers were jealous of the tutelage he was giving us. Everyone knew that to be in with Sykes was to be on the fast track up the ladder."

Devin looked in Diana's direction, but not in the eye. "We were so stupid." He shut his eyes and took a deep breath. "We didn't realize it was an initiation to his service. He took us to an interrogation. and the boy didn't give him the answers he wanted. Sykes had another man with him. He wanted Erik to kill the boy. Erik refused. The boy showed up dead the next day, and Erik went missing the day after that." He took a breath, calming himself.

"That's when I went to Devin," Diana said from her place, voice shaking. "My brother hadn't been home and I was scared."

"I knew that it had to have something to do with Sykes, so I went looking for him. Finally found him at one of his favorite haunts: the docks. Needless to say he wasn't expecting me."

"He killed your partner, didn't he?" Starsky asked softly.

"And then he threatened to frame you for it." Hutch added, just as quietly.

Tears burned at the back of Baker's eyes, but he refused to let them fall. He tried to smile and failed. "I have missed him every day of my life." Devin admitted.

"What a touching story." Everyone turned towards the office opening where a large, burly man stood. Hutch tensed at the sight of him and the man next to him. Officer O'Conner had been the one to speak, though, dwarfed by the two brutes. He wrinkled his thin nose, mouth turning down in distaste. "I suppose some people just never know how to keep their mouths shut, huh, Baker? I thought you and little Nurse O'Brien had it awful nice here. Sykes set you up nice enough, and all he asked for was a little respect. That's not too hard, is it?"

Baker stood, all traces of grief wiped from his face, all softness turned to hard lines and anger. "You son of a bitch. Get out of my office." he snarled.

"Oh, do be careful Coach Baker. It's against the law to be verbally abusive to an office of the law."

"You're not an officer of the law, you damn slimy rat. You're the lowest kind of bastard ever to walk to the earth." Baker snarled.

O'Conner snorted, lips twitching downward. "Detective Sykes would like a word with you boys," he said, turning his attention to the three young cadets. "It seems that young Mr. Colby here was the last person to have been seen with Ms. Renolds. Alive, anyway."

Fear struck the three friends.

"No." Starsky growled.

Hutch instinctively took a step forward in front of Colby. "That's total crap, O'Conner and you know it." The blond said forcefully. "If you don't have a warrant you're not taking him anywhere, and I have the right to ask you to leave."

O'Conner kept smiling. He turned cold eyes on Nurse O'Brien. "Diana. You're looking as...luscious as ever." Starsky and Hutch had to each grab an arm to keep Baker from laying hands on the man.

"Ms. O'Brien can tell you, I'm sure just what happens when you don't comply with an investigation. It's never a... pleasant experience." He shrugged, turning so that he was no longer facing them. "Expect a visit from Detective Sykes when he gets a moment, but it really does put him in a foul humor to make house calls."

Starsky took a step forward, bristling with anger. "We're taking Sykes down, O'Connor," He said angrily, "And if you know what's good for you you'll get out know because if you don't we will take you out with him."

O'Connor froze, and turned, a deadly glare aimed at the dark haired cadet. "I'm sorry, Cadet Starsky, was it? Are you threatening me? Are you hard of hearing? Because threatening me is a very, very bad idea." O'Connor reached out and grabbed his shoulder. "Because I know you must be at least a little fond of your little brother. If not..." his eyes slid to Hutch and he smiled. "Perhaps your friend here would be so kind as to stand still for my boys again."

Hutch wrenched O'Conner's hand off Starsky's shoulder. "Do. Not. Touch. Him." O'Conner smiled, and he and his boys left.

Starsky's teeth were clenched tightly, partially from pain and partially from the anger that was boiling inside of him. "We've just run out of time," Hutch murmured at his side, tossing a worried glance at his roommate.

"No, Sykes did," Starsky corrected gruffly. "Coach, I'd suggest that you and Nurse O'Brien get to someone higher up that will at least think about looking into this. We may be able to deal with it, but we'll need a full cop to toss his sorry ass into prison for the rest of his days when we're done."

Baker nodded. "We know a guy who might be able to help."

Diana shook her head. "We shouldn't ask that of him."

"We have no choice." Baker said, a note of desperation creeping into his voice. "I will not allow those bastards to get their hands on you or these boys." he said.

Starsky was listening to the argument, but was keeping his eyes on his taller roommate, the pain radiating in him not only because of his arm. "Hutch," he murmured.

The blond straightened his stance, a wince not escaping the elder man's careful gaze. "Stop looking at me like that, Starsk. They're not going to catch me off my guard this time. Catch us off our guard." Starsky nodded slowly.

"Hey, I hate to break up this 'we're going to save the day' act," Colby said from off to the side, "but we're talking about hitting this guy with no weapons and when he knows we're coming. You know me, I'm always up for a good romp, but this..."

"You don't have to come along, Colby," Hutch answered his friend softly.

"Like hell I don't! This guy's going to frame me for Helen's murder." Colby's voice caught on the last part of his sentence. "God, I'm responsible for this poor kid's..."

Baker grabbed his shoulder and shook him gently. "No. No. Don't you ever say that or think it. Sykes killed her. Sykes is responsible. You are not responsible for this."

Starsky nodded. "We won't let him do this to you, Colby."

"You know we have your back." Hutch said.

"I know." Colby said with a sad smile.

"So let's talk to Detective Dobey." Baker said firmly.

The two hours that it took Baker to set up a meeting with his friend seemed like an eternity to the three cadets. Colby was a wreck once the information had finally struck home as to what Sykes' intentions would be, and he stuck closely between his two friends. While waiting, Diana fussed over the boys, complaining that they hadn't done as she instructed and telling them in no uncertain terms that they were horrible patients.

"We're leaving," was all Baker said to have all four of them jumping to his command.

Devin led them through a back exit and took the long way around to the staff parking lot where the group quickly got into his car. None of them had seen anyone, but all knew that didn't mean much. They drove around for a while, Devin taking a circular route to their destination in case anyone was still following them. When he was satisfied no one was behind them, and when he heard snores from some of his passengers, he headed towards the little restaurant downtown. He reached over and squeezed Diana's hand. "Hey. Everything's going to be okay." he said softly.

She smiled up at him, squeezing back. "I believe you." she whispered.

"Get a room!" Colby exclaimed from the back.

"Shut it, Colby," Starsky grumbled, casting an anxious glance at the still snoozing Ken Hutchinson at his side.

Devin chuckled from the driver's seat. "You'll have to wake him up anyway. We're here."

"'m awake," Hutch murmured, blinking sleep from his eyes rapidly. He rubbed them, wondering how he'd managed even a catnap.

Starsky hesitantly patted his arm. "You okay, Hutch?" he asked as Colby was climbing out of the car.

Hutch nodded and smiled at him. "Sure. Just a little tired."

Starsky watched him carefully as they got out of the car and headed into the diner. He hadn't forgotten what O'Conner had said, and wondered if it was even possible. Once inside the restaurant, which boasted a flickering 24-hrs OP-N sign, they were ushered into a private booth in the back. An African-American man, roughly in his mid thirties greeted Baker and Diana warmly before being presented to the cadets. "Harold Dobey, this is Dave Starsky, Ken Hutchinson, and John Colby."

Dobey shook all of their hands and they sat. "Devin said you boys might be hungry. Not much cookin' this time of night but they'll bring what they have shortly." He eyed them carefully. "And how exactly did you all wind up involved with the like of Sykes?"

"Not intentionally," Hutch grumbled, frowning.

"We saw a bit more than apparently we were supposed to. Field trips just get so graphic nowadays," Starsky piped up with a half grin, the smile not reaching his eyes.

Dobey cast a knowing look at Baker. "Initiating them young now, is he?"

Baker nodded. "I think that's what was happening. He just picked the wrong guys."

Two waiters bearing trays appeared, set down food before the group and vanished again. "Two bodies in a week is a high count for him." Dobey mused. "The kid on the docks and now the girl." He shook his head as he picked up his fork. "There are several of us who have been trying to get him on a slip for years. We've just never had enough to take him in. And the bigger problem is that it has to be air tight. God only knows how many people would end up dead and how many people would get off on technicalities if we screwed up." he growled.

Hutch sat back thoughtfully. "Pride goeth before the fall." He murmured.

"And he's got a lot of pride," Starsky agreed, digging into his plateful of food.

"What we have is circumstantial at best, isn't it?" Colby asked. "I mean... It's not like any of us saw him or even O'Conner down at the docks."

"But Hutch can ID O'Conner's two thugs," Starsky offered.

"And we can put O'Conner and the thugs together but we can't put them with Sykes." Hutch replied. He pushed the food around on the plate in front of him. "O'Conner thinks Sykes will protect him. At this moment, O'Conner is Sykes' weak link. If we can take him out, maybe we can draw out Sykes as he tries to clean up the collateral damage." the blonde mused. "That's if Sykes will go for it. It's not like he's an idiot or anything." Hutch frowned thoughtfully. "He won't want loose ends."

"Hutchinson, you said?" Dobey asked, eyeing the blond. "You may be onto something."

"How are we going to draw O'Conner out, though?" Colby asked.

"We don't have to." Diana said calmly. The group turned to her, surprised. She shrugged her delicate shoulders. "O'Conner is going to come after me, you all heard him. You all just have to catch him in the act. Sykes won't be able to save him in the face of eyewitnesses."

Devin made a sound in the back of his throat. "Are you out of your damn mind? We are not using you as bait!" Diana turned her dark eyes on him, not a trace of fear in them.

"I'm not giving you the option. This is going to help stop the man that murdered my brother and your best friend and stop the deaths of these boys here."

"No offense, Nurse O'Brien, but what do you really expect to do? Have us all hide in waiting while you go and stand somewhere prominent and hope that he comes for you? Then we jump him?" Colby asked, wrinkling his nose as he spoke. "The only person with any sort of weapon is Detective Dobey, and you know they'll come armed."

Starsky looked thoughtful for a moment. "I have my gun that I checked in with the academy when I signed up. The one that I kept with me after 'Nam."

"And I used to wrestle in college," Hutch offered. "It's something."

"Yeah, that did you a load of good when they jumped you last time," his friend replied.

Hutch made no reply and put his fork down. "It would be different in this situation." He finally said.

Fear lanced through Starsky. "You didn't..."

"It's risky," Hutch said, cutting him off, "but it may be our only chance of getting him. Nurse O'Brien will be his next target. If we can get him, Sykes will come for us himself."

Colby shook his head. "Jeeze, do you realize how badly this could go?"

Diana reached out and patted his arm. "I appreciate your concern. But I've been running from him long enough."

"I don't like it, but that doesn't mean it's not our best rout to get them," Dobey murmured. "O'Conner has enough self control that he won't go for you tonight. Maybe not even tomorrow, if he consults Sykes about it, but if he still hasn't shown by the end of tomorrow, he won't be able to put it off any longer than Sunday."

"He's done this sort of thing before?" Starsky asked, receiving several nods from around the table.

"Sykes may be the brains behind everything, but O'Conner's just as sick. He has the brawn at his command," Baker explained. "I think you're right, Harold, that he'll hold off."

"I don't like the idea of you boys being involved," Dobey grumbled as he took a swig of his drink, "but that's another thing that I don't see a way around."

"We'll hold our own, sir," Hutch assured him.

"Yeah, _we _will." Starsky agreed, looking at Hutch.

Dobey broke off a piece of a breadstick. "I'll have some guys make regular patrols around the academy. It won't do us any good if you lot get bumped off beforehand. But with Baker on site you should be safe to stay in the dorms."

"No place like home, eh, boys?" Colby asked with a grin.

Starsky shrugged. "No place else to go anyway."

"I'd say that you two should make room for a third roommate for the immediate future," Baker said as he motioned at Colby. "Safety in numbers and such."

"You get the floor." Starsky and Hutch said together.

Colby made a face. "You two keep that up and people will start talking." Starsky flicked an olive at him.

"Bring your own pillow." Hutch said.

"See, I don't see the problem with me getting a bed. Aren't you two sharing?" Colby grinned widely.

Starsky choked on the food he'd just shoveled into his mouth and Hutch felt the color drain from his face. It was one thing for the jokes to be between the three of them, but he wondered briefly if Colby forgot that teachers and active detectives were sitting at the table.

"I'd watch yourself, Colby. That might smack of jealousy." Baker murmured, half into his glass.

It was Colby's turn to pale and Diana grinned. Dobey shook his head. "Whatever. If you boys can get the job done, I don't want to know."

"We can get the job done, sir," Starsky answered seriously. "No doubt about it."

It was well past sunset when they left the diner, plans made and stomachs full. There was a certain comfort in the idea that they had a working plan – as dangerous as that plan might be – and Devin and Diana let them out at the dorm's front doors. The three cadets were well past ready for bed by the time they trudged up three flights of stares.

"I'm going to run by my room and grab some stuff. I'll meet up with you guys in a few." Colby said, waving at them and dashing down the hall.

Starsky unlocked their door and Hutch shut it behind them. "I'm so beat." Hutch groaned. He kicked off his shoes and pulled off his jacket. "I'm glad Nurse O'Brien is staying with Coach for now. Until Sunday, at least."

"May not be the only reason," Starsky grinned as he flipped on the small lamp in between the beds. He took a seat as his roommate shook his head and rolled his eyes at the curly haired man's innuendo. The smile finally faded and Starsky leaned back onto his bed, hands tucked behind his head and eyes fixated on the ceiling. "Are you scared?" he asked rather abruptly.

Hutch sat on the edge of his bed and rubbed his arm before poking experimentally at the skin beneath his eye. "No, I don't think so. Are you?"

"A little, but not for myself." There was a long pause and a sigh. "I'm not new to dangerous situations, but in 'Nam you couldn't get too close to anyone, because chances were that they wouldn't be there the next day. Or you wouldn't, but in that case, I guess that's the last thing you're worried about." He shifted and sat up so that he could look Hutch directly in the eye. He looked tired, worn, but still ready for whatever might be thrown their way. "I didn't know how easy it'd be to form attachments again when I got home. That's one of the reasons I moved all the way out to the West Coast, but... Guess I formed them pretty well. I just don't want anything to happen to any of you." The confession hung in the air and Hutch let out a breath he hadn't realized he was holding.

"Starsk," he murmured. "I don't...I'm not...good with people all the time." Hutch said quietly. "But you are somethin' else and I won't make promises where I can't keep them but I will do everything I can to stay safe. And to keep you safe."

The smile reached his eyes as the dark haired man grinned. "You know, after this is all over and done with, I'd say we raise some hell around here. This could be quite a match we're making."

"Don't put it that way," Hutch groaned. "Colby'll start with it again."

Starsky laughed, but then glanced at the door. "What's taking him so long, anyway?"

"Probably moisturizing his face." Hutch said, rolling his eyes.

Starsky grinned, but it faded into a frown. "You don't think..."

Hutch sat up, wincing at the sudden motion. "Surely not..."

Both men were off their beds and out into the hall in a split second.


End file.
